Capcom Vancouver Shuts Down, Future of Dead Rising in Doubt

The publisher has laid off 158 employees in the closing of this studio.

Capcom Vancouver is closing its doors, according to an announcement from the video game publisher that was originally reported by Variety. The studio is most known for its work on the Dead Rising franchise as well as the free-to-play game Puzzle Fighter. This shake-up comes as a surprise after reports indicated that work on a Dead Rising 5 was ongoing at the studio.

Details are mostly vague but the publisher explained that it is currently reviewing “the allocation of its development resources that support the production of world-class content.” Read the full statement from a Capcom representative below.

Capcom has been focused on increasing the efficiency and growth of its game development operations. To support this objective, new R&D facilities and annual hiring have been underway at the Osaka headquarters. In consideration of this process, as a result of reviewing titles in development at Capcom Vancouver, Capcom has decided to cancel the development projects at this studio and will concentrate development of major titles in Japan.

As part of this overall direction, the Capcom Vancouver studio will suspend operations, effective today, so the current staff will be laid off and the office will be closed. We appreciate the hard work and contributions of all the studio team members in creating unforgettable gameplay experiences for the “Dead Rising” series and “Puzzle Fighter.”

In another press release, Capcom mentioned that they are expecting losses after terminating a number of projects at the Vancouver studio, which is a big indicator that Dead Rising 5 has been canceled. Considering that this studio was behind the entire series thus far, the future of the franchise as a whole is in doubt after this closing. The only official comment on the future of Dead Rising is that Capcom still owns the brand but no new titles have been announced.

We will have to file any future Dead Rising games under “we’ll have to wait and see” for the time being. If and when we ever hear more, we’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date here on Dead Entertainment.

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Thanks to his friends and family, Chris grew up surrounded by plenty of horror movies and video games. From self-taught web design as a teenager to a formal education in computer science, he has always had a passion for web technologies and has channeled all of those interests into building this website platform. Chris opted to dive straight into horror with this project and is joined by some of those very same influential friends and family here on the staff. When not programming or gaming, you can find him heading to the midwest to cheer on his favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack Go!